Beat the Back-to-School Blues with Cheese

Beat the Back-to-School Blues with Cheese

The uniforms are back on, the bags are packed and somehow everyone needs to be in three different places at once.

September brings plenty to look forward to, but those first few weeks back at school can take a little getting used to. So we are turning to one of our favourite ways to make things better: good cheese.

For small humans with big palates, growing gourmands and cheeses that the whole family can enjoy, we asked our cheesemongers which cheeses get the seal of approval from their own children.

Whether tucked into a lunchbox, offered as an after-school snack or brought out for a simple supper with virtually no preparation, these three have earned their place at the family table.

For small humans with big palates: Gruyère Premier Cru

Children do not always want the mildest cheese on the cheeseboard.

Gruyère is a brilliant example. Firm enough to cut into little pieces for hungry hands, but with plenty going on in the flavour, it balances gentle sweetness with wonderfully nutty, savoury notes.

It is just as happy tucked into a lunchbox as it is handed over in slices while supper is being made. And, as one of our cheesemongers’ smallest taste-testers demonstrates, sometimes the best way to enjoy Gruyère is simply to reach for another piece.

For small cheese lovers beginning to develop opinions of their own, Gruyère makes an excellent place to start.

For the growing gourmand: Wigmore

For those ready to explore something a little softer, Wigmore is a wonderful next step.

This British ewe’s milk cheese has a delicate floral sweetness and a soft, supple texture, becoming beautifully yielding as it ripens. At its best, we have been known to describe its flavour as a little like melted ice cream: rich, milky and gently sweet.

A slice with crackers makes an excellent after-school offering, while a ripe Wigmore brought to the table with good bread can turn a very simple supper into something rather special.

And if the children develop a taste for it before you do, consider yourself warned.

For everyone at the table: Paxton & Whitfield Cave Aged Cheddar

Sometimes the classics are classics for good reason.

Our Paxton & Whitfield Cave Aged Cheddar is full-flavoured, fruity and nutty, with all the comforting familiarity of a good Cheddar and enough character to keep the grown-ups interested too.

It is exactly the sort of cheese worth having in the fridge when school is back in full swing.

Add a piece to a lunchbox. Cut slices alongside apple for the inevitable post-school hunger. Grate it onto a baked potato. Or, on a day when everyone has had quite enough, put Cheddar, crackers and whatever else is in the fridge on the table and call it supper.

No elaborate preparation required.

A little something to look forward to

The return to school does not necessarily call for grand gestures. Sometimes it is simply about having something good waiting at the end of the day.

And while our cheesemongers may spend their working lives surrounded by an extraordinary selection of cheese, their children can still be relied upon to tell us very clearly which ones they actually want to eat.

Gruyère, Wigmore and Paxton & Whitfield Cave Aged Cheddar have passed the test.

We think the grown-ups will approve too.